Sony’s Layoff Plan to Spare Games Studios

April 22, 2012 Written by Zak Islam

Following the news of Sony’s catastrophic $6.4 billion loss, new CEO Kaz Hirai made the decision to drastically cut the company’s workforce down. Some 10,000 employees will be laid off to help aid any chance of a turnaround in fortunes for the PS3 platform holder. However, its gaming division will seemingly be unaffected by the cuts.

When Sony does follow through with the mass-layoffs, they won’t be focusing any of it into the company’s games division, Develop has learned. Sony declined to comment when approached on the matter.

Hirai previously stated that Sony would predominately shift its focus from its various ailing businesses into, digital imaging, phones and games. With its gaming division being included in their plan, Develop’s sources do seem to have credence.

That said, we’ve already seen one major first-party studio closing down in the form of Zipper Interactive. Rumors were initially circulating regarding an upcoming closure of the developer but they officially confirmed it with a heartfelt farewell message.

Sure, SOCOM 4 didn’t perform greatly — both commercially and critically — but PlayStation Vita shooter Unit 13 launched to positive reviews; so it may have been a surprise to a few that the developer was closed. Before its official closure, Sony stated that layoffs in the studio were a “normal business practice and a result of cutting back on production resources after the launch of two major franchises.”